Coming to Dinner
by Nate Grey
Summary: Aogiri Tree does not recruit. It engulfs, devours, and ingests. The lucky ones never learn this, the smart ones never forget. If you ever have any doubt who is on the menu, check your shoes for seasoning. C3: Eto leads a suicidal attack on Arima that leaves both Aogiri and the CCG scrambling to recover. But in the shadows, smaller plots are carried out.
1. Chapter 1

Notes: I like very specific portions of the anime and the first manga. If those two were blended in some way, I'd love it. That's how this story came about. Which is another way of saying that this largely ignores Re, even though some of the plot is similar. Still, it should be immediately obvious what events I'm ignoring.

Chapter Summary: Kaneki and Hinami both follow their own path into Aogiri Tree, and each comes to know a different side of the mysterious Eto.

* * *

 **Coming to Dinner**

 **A Tokyo Ghoul Fanfic by**

 **Nate Grey (xman0123-at-aol-dot-com)**

 **Chapter 1: CentiFly**

* * *

If there was an initiation process for new recruits, he never actually got to see it. She had beckoned to him, and he had followed her.

"You only need to follow me, Ken-kun." Then she laughed, smiled beneath her bandages, and skipped away, leaving him to do as she had ordered.

For that first week, he had done exactly that, shadowing her throughout her days and nights, leaving her side only when she asked it of him. She had taught him, although in no way that he could even begin to explain to anyone else. His role had not been defined, although he was certainly not a bodyguard. And it was clear that the others were not fond of whatever his rank was, as it was assumed to be above theirs, for him to enjoy her company so quickly after joining.

But at the end of the week, he was abruptly reassigned, and found himself frequently alongside Ayato. He would occasionally catch a glimpse of her, or she might join him unexpectedly for coffee and small talk, but the strange magic of that first week seemed gone for good. He was merely one of her soldiers now, although one she still held an unexplained fondness for.

* * *

Hinami had never planned on going to look for Kaneki. She wanted to, of course, but reality told her otherwise. Reality said that people who protected her got hurt or worse, and that she needed to find her own path to getting strong enough to protect herself.

She just had no idea how to go about it, and no one was interested in helping her learn. Touka was busy with school, and even when she wasn't, she refused to help Hinami learn how to fight. Hinami understood that this was Touka's way of trying to keep her innocent. But it frustrated her to no end, because everything innocent in Hinami's life had died with her mother, and there was no undoing that. Hinami was starting to realize that Touka did have a life outside of worrying over her, and that it might be best to leave Touka alone. Touka would never admit that aloud, but judging from the way they began to speak less and less without complaint on either side, apparently felt the same way.

Yomo had the better excuse of being far too busy. Hinami rarely ever had a chance to see him at all. And he, at least, was not opposed to Hinami getting stronger, but truly lacked the time to teach her.

Anyone else Hinami could turn to insisted that she was too young to be worried about fighting or strength. And if Kaneki had been there, he would have said the same. So it was good that he wasn't there, because Hinami didn't want to cry in front of him again.

That left her with one last option: the business card that might be her ticket to a world outside of being hunted, if there was such a thing.

* * *

"Hello? M-May I please speak to Takatsuki-san?"

"Hinami-chan!" Eto cried excitedly into the phone, nearly toppling out of her chair. "So lovely to hear from you! I'm so happy you didn't lose my number! How are you, my dear?"

There was a long, decidedly nervous pause. "Y-You remember me?" the caller squeaked.

"You may find this hard to believe, but I don't hand out those cards to just anyone," Eto chuckled. "At least, not the ones with my private line on them. And we had such an engaging conversation, I'm not likely to forget that. So, to what do I owe the pleasure of your call?"

"I know this is completely out of the blue, and I have no right to ask, but... is there any way I could work for you? Maybe as an intern or an assistant? Or just someone to fetch your tea?"

Eto frowned and tapped her fingers against the phone, not liking the desperation she heard. "Hinami-chan, you are a bright and talented young girl, not a go-fer. If, however, you seek to be enlightened, and are willing to listen to me ramble on for hours, I am sure we can find some way for you to be properly compensated. Stay right where you are, I'll come by and pick you up in a few minutes."

As a bright and talented young girl, Hinami should have questioned how her favorite novelist happened to know exactly where she was without being told. As a girl desperate to escape her current situation, however, she wouldn't pick up on it until later.

* * *

Later happened when Hinami finally noticed that the taxi's meter wasn't running. Either the driver had forgotten, highly unlikely with two passengers aboard, or he had purposely avoided charging them a fare. And as famous a novelist as Takatsuki was, unless the driver was a devoted fan, he should have been trying to get as much money from her as he possibly could.

"Where did you say we were going again, Takatsuki-san?" Hinami asked, trying her best to sound respectful. Takatsuki hadn't said in the first place, something else Hinami was now very aware of.

"My place," came the immediate answer. "I want to get your thoughts on my latest draft. And by the way, there's no need to address me that way anymore. We're friends, aren't we, Hinami-chan? If you're going to work for me, I insist on us being the best of friends. There's no point if we don't have fun with it."

"I suppose that's true," Hinami murmured, still slightly uneasy. "Sen-san, then?"

A very loud sigh was the response. "Nice try, but that was terribly awkward. I suppose it's time for a little truth. That's just a name I use for my writing. From now on, you can call me Eto-chan, okay?"

Hinami gaped at her, feeling unworthy of such closeness. "I... okay?"

"Good girl. Now, you hungry? I could use a snack myself."

Before Hinami could politely decline, a delicious scent filled the taxi. The source became clear as the driver handed Eto... well, a hand. And Hinami's stomach did flip-flops, at the very idea that her favorite novelist knew that she was a ghoul. It stilled, however, once Eto yanked off a finger and began sucking thoughtfully on the bloody end.

"That guy's called Torso, by the way," Eto added, nodding to the back of the driver's head. "It's probably better that you wait to find out why."

"You're one, too," Hinami whispered. "But I... I couldn't tell at all?"

"Your nose is cute as a button and useful, but not perfect," Eto noted. "Nothing is foolproof if you're clever or gifted enough. I happen to be both. And what you don't have naturally, I can teach you. If you haven't guessed yet, this job offer was never about writing. Or not just writing, anyway. Still interested?"

"Will I get stronger?"

"I should hope so."

There was so much left unsaid in that reply.

Hinami took it to mean that whether she got stronger depended on how hard she was willing to work.

Torso, on the other hand, took it to mean that if Hinami didn't get stronger, or find some way to make herself worth the effort Eto had spent in collecting her, Hinami would be quickly discarded. And to his knowledge, Aogiri Tree did not just discard warm bodies. There was no sense in wasting fresh food.

* * *

When Kaneki first heard the rumors about the young girl who had joined recently, he tried to ignore them. Even when the girl's name, or rather the rumored version of it, was too close to Hinami's for comfort, he did not react in any way that would give someone cause to notice.

Eto seemed to know everything about everyone. Surely, he thought, she would know of his connection to Anteiku, and to Hinami. It was no accident that they were both brought in by Eto. And if Eto had wanted them to be together, she would have arranged it. But she had not. And to Kaneki, that was a clear message.

Stay away, until and unless you're called.

Eto did not speak much, so it was vital to understand the meaning behind all that she did not say, if one wanted things to go well. And Kaneki did, at least for Hinami, so he kept his distance, and kept his mouth shut.

It became somewhat more difficult, when Ayato began to complain of being tasked with babysitting, and demanded to know why Hinami wasn't afraid when she should be. Kaneki correctly assumed that Hinami simply wasn't afraid of Ayato, and only then because the physical similarities to Touka no doubt put Hinami at ease.

Yet, Kaneki remained confident that Eto had done all of this with a reason in mind, and that she would not waste the chance to exploit his relationship with Hinami. If for no other reason than that as much as Kaneki himself amused Eto, Hinami amused her far more, for reasons that only Eto knew.

* * *

Hinami learned very quickly that Eto was not a standard ghoul, and not just because she did not smell like one. The first time that Hinami saw Eto go into a closet and emerge covered in bandages, she had no idea what to think. Eto explained that those were her true work clothes, and that any time she wore them, Hinami should consider her to be royalty and act accordingly. Any other time, however, Hinami was free to be as informal as she dared.

That last part made very little sense to Hinami, because within a day it became very clear that Eto was, in every sense imaginable, the most powerful ghoul that Hinami had ever met. Being informal with her was not something that seemed even remotely possible for anyone sane. Which quickly became a problem, because apparently that was exactly what Eto wanted from her.

"I've decided what I hired you for, Hinami-chan," Eto announced to her. "You're going to be my little sister."

"How do I do that?" Hinami asked.

"Come now, you make it sound so complicated! I know how you were with Kaneki and Touka."

Hinami frowned. "Yes, but... that was them. You're nothing like them."

"No? I'm taking care of you, and I certainly don't have to. I'm teaching you things. How is that not like them?"

"Well, that part is, but the rest is entirely different. Ghouls are afraid of you. Lots of them are. Almost as if you were one of the Doves. I'm not sure how to be a sister to someone like that."

Eto considered that in silence, making a show of closing her eyes, crossing her arms, and drumming her fingers on her elbows. Finally, she opened her eyes and asked, "Are you afraid of me, Hinami-chan?"

"I'm... not sure."

Eto grinned. "You mean you're not sure how to answer. You're thinking that if you say no, that I'll get mad and try to scare you immediately. But you're also thinking that if you say yes, that I'll get mad and do something mean to you. Neither will happen. I'm genuinely curious, and I won't mind either way."

"I'm more afraid of what you can do, than I am of you personally."

"That's a good way to think of it," Eto said approvingly. "I don't mind if you're a little scared. I'm the big sister, so you should be afraid of being punished for disobedience. But not so much that you never want to be around me. So is there something I could do that would make you less afraid of me?"

"Maybe you could read to me sometimes. And hold me when I have nightmares?"

"Somehow I doubt that anything in your nightmares is scarier than me, but okay. And of course I can read to you, but I still expect you to do that on your own. I realize your chances to read were likely limited in the past, but that is no longer the case."

That part was true, as Eto had many books in her apartment. Hinami was not sure if Eto had actually taught herself to read, but she could certainly be easily convinced of it. Eto did not seem to do anything else in her apartment, in fact, aside from the occasional bath. It only made sense for Hinami to stay there. Eto had plenty of food stored, yet tended to eat out more often than not. Due to Eto's frequent absences, the bed was almost always free. Even when it was not, the few times Hinami had tried to sleep anywhere else in the apartment, she found herself in the bed the next morning, with Eto either half-draped over her, or slumped over a desk. Hinami had been mildly concerned for Eto's health, given these seemingly bad habits, until it occurred to her that Eto might very well have additional apartments, or perhaps just hideouts, where she spent the bulk of her time. And if anything, Eto was far healthier than any ghoul that Hinami had yet to see eating a live human had a right to be.

* * *

Nothing about the note seemed right.

First, it was handed to him by Tatara, a ghoul who, if Kaneki's suspicion was accurate, was employed by Aogiri Tree solely for the purpose of being intimidating, both to other members and enemies alike.

Second, it was clearly a love note. And while Kaneki wished that fact narrowed the field of suspects a bit, given the laundry list of characters he had met in the organization, it really didn't at all.

"To My Sweet Kaneki-kun: I wish to go on a coffee date with you, so please be the gentleman I know you are and agree to escort me. I will be cross with you, if you fail to show up."

Kaneki did not dare to refuse. The worst case scenario was that it was from Eto, who would probably be murderous if he failed to appear. But with Kaneki's luck, the best case scenario was that it was from a guy enough like Tsukiyama to make Kaneki rate his date with Rize as being his best ever, including the double counts of attempted murder.

So on the appointed night, he showed up at the abandoned building an hour early, paced for much of that time, made two cups of coffee, and hoped he would not have to throw his in someone's face to make a hasty retreat.

Any thoughts of coffee throwing fled his mind when he finally he looked up and found Hinami standing in the doorway, her eyes wide.

Kaneki was more surprised by the fact that she seemed surprised. "You must have known I was here. Surely you were able to smell me?"

Hinami shook her head. "Only for the last few blocks, and only then because I just happened to catch your scent. I wasn't actually expecting you. I got a note from Eto saying she wanted to meet me here."

Wordlessly, Kaneki passed her his own note.

She read it, pouted, and then sighed. "She totally set us up."

"Is that a bad thing?" he asked.

"Of course not. I'm just annoyed that she tricked us." Hinami paused and smiled. "It's good to see you, onii-chan."

"I'm glad you're doing well, Hinami-chan." Kaneki started to say something else, then hesitated, and then decided he had to know. "There's something I need to ask you, but I'm afraid it might offend you."

"I've never known you to be offensive, and if it's something you would even consider asking me to my face, it can't be that bad," she reasoned.

"I need you to tell me that you didn't join Aoigiri Tree because of me."

"I honestly don't think Eto would have let me join if that was my reason. As you can tell by this being our first meeting since we both joined, she's kept us apart on purpose. I'm not sure why. So no, you're not why I'm here. I didn't actually know what I was volunteering for. Did you know that Eto is actually Sen Takatsuki?"

Kaneki gaped at her. "You're joking."

"I'm not! That's how I got in."

"But... that can't be common knowledge. Should you have told me that?"

"She doesn't care if you know. And I wouldn't have told you if I thought you were going to go blabbing it to the next person you ran into. We'd both get punished, so I know you wouldn't do that."

Kaneki nodded, still trying to absorb the news. It didn't quite change everything, but he now had a great deal more respect for Eto and how clever she was.

"So, what have you been up to?" Hinami asked.

He thought about lying, since telling her the truth never even occurred to him. "I'd rather talk about you."

Hinami had expected as much, and didn't fight the change in topic. "I've been learning a lot. Eto has tons of books in her place, and she wants me to read all of them. And she's teaching me how to defend myself. I'm much better at using my Kagune now."

Outwardly, Kaneki merely nodded. Inwardly, he was both relieved and concerned. If Hinami was indeed improving with her Kagune, that meant she had to be eating well. But he did not for an instant think that Aogiri's food was as guilt-free as Anteiku's had at least seemed to be. At the same time, just as he did not want to reveal how he had been eating lately, he suspected Hinami would feel the same way about her own eating habits.

"Have you found anyone you prefer working with yet?" he asked instead.

"Ayato," she answered at once. "Though it's less because I prefer him, and more because he's familiar. But I feel especially safe with Tatara. And Dr. Kanou is interesting, once you get used to him."

Though Kaneki was mildly alarmed at the company Hinami had been keeping, he did his best not to show it. "And you're sleeping better?"

"Less nightmares," Hinami replied, quickly and firmly.

"Same here," he noted, although he suspected that she had been far more truthful than he had.

"I don't suppose you've heard from Touka at all?"

The question caught Kaneki off guard. "No. You haven't?"

Hinami shook her head. "We sort of fell out of contact. Yomo used to give me an update on her from time to time, but I haven't heard from him since I joined. Probably because I joined." She looked away, suddenly nervous. "Do you... think we made the right choice? Leaving them behind and coming here?"

Without hesitation, Kaneki stepped closer and gently wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "We each do what we feel we have to do. That's the first thing that Touka ever taught me, and I'm sure it's something she wanted you to learn, as well. It may not make other people happy, but if you feel in your heart that it's right, you should do it. At the end of the day, the only person you really have no choice but to accept is yourself. Whatever helps you do that, is right for you."

Hinami leaned into the hug, inhaling his comforting scent. "Thank you for telling me that." She wanted, more than anything in that moment, to tell him something that would ease his mind as well. But the one thing she had to offer, she was forbidden to tell anyone, and ultimately, the knowledge would only bring Kaneki more pain.

* * *

The moment Hinami returned to the apartment, Eto pounced on her, cheerfully demanding details about her big date.

Hinami greeted her with a flat stare. "You," she said with no trace of humor, "are a liar, Eto-chan."

"Among other things," Eto agreed happily. "So? How was the date?"

"It wasn't a date! I've told you before, Kaneki is like family to me. And it wasn't even me he was expecting. Because he, like me, thought he was meeting you, who lied to both of us!"

"But you had a nice time, right?" Eto pressed, grinning widely.

"Of course I did. Kaneki is a gentleman, and we were happy to be reunited." Hinami paused and stared at Eto. "Why don't you want me to be with him?"

"Who said that? I just gave you a very nice not-date with him, didn't I?"

"After both of us being here for months with no contact. And after you told me there was nothing I could do for him. Why, Eto-chan?"

Eto's smiling face vanished, replaced by a cool stare. "Your job is to be my little sister, Hinami-chan. Mine alone. You aren't here to be his. That I let you see him at all was a kindness. A reward for how hard you've been working. A small gesture to show you how much I appreciate you. It didn't have to happen. It doesn't have to happen again, ever. Please keep that in mind."

Hinami bit her lip to prevent herself from saying the first thing that came to mind, which was that Eto was being childish and jealous and unfair. "I haven't forgotten, and I do appreciate everything you've given me. But my point was, if you had a good reason for keeping Kaneki and I apart, and you shared it with me, I wouldn't ask to see him. I'd stay away on my own."

Eto said nothing for several minutes, pacing back and forth while Hinami watched her. This was unusual in that Eto had been startlingly forthcoming with sensitive information around Hinami. To the point where even Hinami questioned if Eto should really be so trusting with her.

Finally, Eto answered, although it was nothing that Hinami expected to hear. "I want to shape Kaneki. But he won't become what I want, if you're close to him."

Hinami knew instinctively that what she wanted for Kaneki was the polar opposite of what Eto wanted for him. She also knew what happened to those who got in the way of Eto's plans. So she only felt safe asking one thing. "Will he be strong when you're done with him?"

"The strongest. For as long as that lasts."

"Then I promise to stay away from him." Hinami felt certain that she could be satisfied with news of Kaneki through whispered rumors and Ayato's complaints. And, now that she thought about it, perhaps that was the hidden purpose of the latter in the first place.

"You're a good sister, Hinami-chan. To offer that without being asked."

Hinami shrugged. "He has to be alive to get strong. There are worse things, but I think him dying before I was ready to lose him is the one thing I couldn't accept."

"Then I promise to make you strong enough to bear losing him."

It was exactly the sort of thing Hinami didn't want to hear, while at the same time being exactly the sort of thing she had come to expect from Eto.

* * *

"Ten minutes," Tatara told her at the door, as he always did.

Hinami nodded. "I remember. Thank you for escorting me, Tatara-san."

He said nothing to that, as the gratitude was not necessary. Hinami would never be allowed there alone, and as one of the people closest to Eto, Tatara would of course be one of those trusted to keep an eye on Hinami. Although in this case, it was less because she might be in danger, and more because it was one of the few times where she might prove to be untrustworthy. At least as far as Eto and Aogiri Tree were concerned.

And it had been a point of great dispute, when Hinami had first been informed of this particular secret. It had very nearly caused her to leave Aogiri Tree entirely. But the resulting backlash of Eto's wrath would be directed at no one who deserved it, and more importantly, at those few Hinami cared for.

So she had shut out the cries of her heart, and accepted that there was nothing immediate she could do about this great wrong, like so many others that she had encountered.

As she neared the center of the room, the old man looked up from his work. "Ah, you're back, Fueguchi-kun," he offered as a greeting. "He's in the last tank today. And on your way out, I have another medical journal for you."

"Thank you, Kanou-sensei," Hinami said, though she dreaded the very thought of having to force her way through another of the highly complicated texts. While she enjoyed reading, her lack of proper schooling presented a considerable challenge when tackling such advanced books. But Eto insisted that since never going to school had not stopped her, it would not stop Hinami, either. And it was ultimately a small price to pay, given what Hinami got in return.

Hinami slowed to a stop in front of the last tank, carefully placing her hand against it. The wizened face floating inside gave no sign that it sensed her presence, or anything else around it, as always. But she pretended that it did.

"Hello, Yoshimura-san. I've come to share the new word I learned today."

The word she had learned was "revenant", and as usual, it had come from something Eto had said. More specifically, it was the codename for one of Aogiri Tree's latest projects.

A person who has returned, especially supposedly from the dead.

Hinami knew nothing else about the project, but had not forgotten Kaneki's lesson on using context clues to figure out the meanings of things, which seemed so long ago now.

Eto cared nothing for human life, so she would never bother to bring a person back from the dead. Not as a human, anyway. And even that was beyond her considerable abilities. Unless the person were not actually dead, but merely thought of as dead by the world at large. Or at least by the CCG. And if there was one thing that was easy to do when fighting ghouls as a profession, it was to be declared dead without a body to match that declaration.

* * *

The next time that Kaneki saw Hinami, it was in an official capacity. Ayato was seated between them, looking as much a third wheel as he likely felt.

"I need you three to do the shopping this week," Eto told them, sounding perfectly serious. "If you fail, you die." She placed the list on the table in front of them, and promptly left the room.

Ayato glanced at the list, then slid it to Hinami, who stared at it for a very long minute before passing it to Kaneki. After he read it, he understood that Eto had not been threatening to kill them if they should fail. At least, she had not done so outright, which did not erase the possibility.

No, the threat was goimg to come from what was on the list itself. Where once Kaneki would have thought it to be impossible, or at least difficult, he had already begun to propose several scenarios in his mind when Ayato spoke.

"I can't believe she wants us to catch live Doves. What's the point?"

"It's more fun to play with your food when it's still alive."

This from Hinami, something that seemed to startle them all.

"Is it?" Ayato asked, genuinely curious as to what she would say.

"It must be."

Kaneki knew, without asking or even desiring to know, that she was back in that tunnel with Touka, fighting for their lives against a madman for no reason other than they had existed.

Then she came back and avoided his gaze. "Any ideas? And don't say-"

"You hang back and let us-"

"No! I said don't say that!"

Ayato gave Kaneki a knowing glance. "We can talk about it on the way." Which was another way of saying they wouldn't.

* * *

He woke up to the entirely unexpected smell of fresh coffee in his home. Which would be fine, except that he lived alone, had never given a spare key to anyone, and did not, to his knowledge, brew coffee in his sleep.

His gun was on the nightstand. He thought, briefly, of grabbing it, and instead went for the briefcase on the floor. Whether the intruder was human or ghoul, it was a weapon guaranteed to do far more damage, in his hands.

He moved slowly, cautiously from the bedroom to the kitchen area. There were two cups of coffee at the table. One was obviously for him. The other was for the intruder, who had clearly started without him and was caught in the act of sipping.

"Good morning, Inspector Amon," the intruder greeted calmly. "Would you care for some coffee? I don't like to brag, but I learned from the best."

"You have five seconds to explain why you're here, Eyepatch," Amon replied, tightening his grip on the briefcase.

"This is an invitation."

"I'll have to decline."

"That's too bad. I don't think your partner is going to be too cooperative without you there."

Amon glared at him. "You're bluffing."

"I'm not. You should be getting the call any moment now. I'll be outside if you change your mind."

Amon watched him leave, then immediately called his partner. He got a busy signal three times, and when he finally hung up, he got the call he'd been warned about. For some reason, he was less annoyed that Aoigiri had Akira, and more annoyed that Eyepatch had been completely truthful.

Eyepatch was waiting outside, as promised, though with a full escort, which Amon had honestly expected. No one ghoul would have been able to subdue Akira so easily. He hoped, anyway.

"So this is why you joined them?" Amon asked. "Safety in numbers?"

"I could accuse you of the same," Eyepatch replied. "This is still an invitation, but there is a mandatory dress code." He held out a pair of handcuffs. "This isn't about killing either of you. We need you both alive."

Amon reluctantly offered his wrists. "Somehow, I think I'd prefer it if you wanted us both dead."

"Somehow, I don't think you're the first to think that. And you likely won't be the last."

* * *

 **Continued in Chapter 2: HoneyBear**

Kaneki has an offer for Amon and Akira: information, in exchange for an eye-witness account of how the late Inspector Kureo Mado died. It's not as if they have a choice. It's not as if they'll ever leave alive.

* * *

 **Endnotes:**

If it wasn't clear, I'm following the anime storyline where Kaneki joins Aogiri Tree. In this version, however, he does not leave them, and does not encounter Arima. So there is no brainwashed version of him walking around. That is one of the major concepts of Re that I find highly annoying. To the point where I cannot bring myself to care at all about any of the characters introduced through their connection to that version of him. So despite the fact that I'm still reading Re, there are large blocks of content that have no importance to me and that I've basically forgotten. Which is surprisingly effective, as the characters I do care about were all introduced before Re.


	2. HoneyBear

Notes: So glad I waited until the newest chapters were out, as a certain plot point I was including has now been reinforced, and it's awesome when that happens.

Chapter Summary: Kaneki educates Amon and Akira on being a ghoul. Eto helps. More than she likely should.

* * *

 **Coming to Dinner**

 **A Tokyo Ghoul Fanfic by**

 **Nate Grey (xman0123-at-aol-dot-com)**

 **Chapter 2: HoneyBear**

* * *

"Allow me to apologize for the accommodations, Inspectors. I'm sure you can understand that this meeting was both difficult to set up, and entirely impossible to arrange in any way that you would have agreed to. I'll start with an introduction. My name is Kaneki Ken. I can afford tell you this, in part, because I have no family left for you to hunt down."

Neither Inspector spoke, not that Kaneki had expected them to. He had personally gagged them, a task made easier by the fact that they had both been restrained at the time, and remained so. For once, he was glad to have had a team of subordinates, although the acts he had committed to gain their loyalty still kept him awake most nights.

"I don't want either of you to misunderstand me," Kaneki continued, slowly crossing the room and standing between them. "There has been far too much of that already. This night is about putting all of our cards on the table. I want each of us to leave with no illusions about what anyone else here was thinking and feeling. You can see it as an exchange of information."

He reached first for Amon, who stared him down and did not flinch away at all. Nodding in approval, Kaneki carefully removed the gag from Amon's mouth.

"What do you want from us?" Amon asked at once.

"I want to know what drives you," Kaneki replied as he turned to Amon's partner, who immediately tensed up under the weight of his gaze. "I want to know why killing every ghoul in sight is the way you choose to work. I want to understand you." After a pause, he added, "Inspector Amon, please reassure your partner that this meeting is purely for informative purposes, and that no harm will come to her, so long as she remains open-minded. If I wanted to hurt or kill you, I could have done it already."

"He won't do anything, Akira," Amon agreed after a few seconds. "He's not like the others."

Akira gave Amon a furious glare, but he met her eyes and held them with his own. Finally, she nodded reluctantly. She held very still as Kaneki removed her gag, and the instant he was done, jerked her head violently away from his fingers and very nearly overturned the chair she was tied to.

"I realize that you may be reluctant to share such personal information, but as I said, this is an exchange. In return for that information, I will reveal to you, in as much detail as I can, the events leading up to Inspector Mado's death. From a perspective that I am sure you are unaware of." As Kaneki figured, that got Akira's immediate attention.

"Don't just say it, like it happens every day!" Akira shouted. "My father was murdered by you monsters!"

"It does happen every day," Kaneki said coldly, "because of people like your father. Just because your family was destroyed, doesn't mean that all others cease to matter. You will find very little sympathy from the families that your father destroyed. But you will never understand that, until you accept something that no human ever has."

"Which is what?" Amon asked.

"For me, becoming a ghoul was a process. I didn't become a monster in a matter of hours. That is a mindset, a choice you have to make when faced with this darkness. I will not deny that the physical changes happened rapidly. Human food quickly became inedible, and my craving for human flesh became overwhelming. But I can honestly say that every time I was ever a mindless monster, it is because I was forced into a situation where that was necessary to survive, not because it was my choice. If there are ghouls that choose to be monsters, logic insists that there are ghouls who are still human, if only in their minds. They conceal themselves and do their best not to hurt anyone. If I was wrong, you wouldn't have to work so hard to track them down, would you?"

"Why would we believe anything that you say?" Akira demanded.

"Why would I go through all the trouble of bringing you here just to lie to you? You cannot imagine how much work it took to arrange this meeting. So many thought it would be better to kill you right away. Do you really think Aogiri Tree makes a habit of taking hostages, or holding meetings with CCG personnel?"

"Obviously not," Amon answered. "And you haven't been in the gang long enough to manage something like this without getting permission. So why did they do this? Did you convince them somehow?"

Kaneki frowned. "One of the leaders is fond of me. I assume they influenced the others. But I cannot even begin to guess at how that person's mind works."

Akira scoffed. "Ghouls aren't peop-"

"YES, THEY ARE!" Kaneki screamed directly in her face, despite having been several feet away an instant earlier. "That's why you're here! That's why I'm telling you all of this! Because none of you can see that! The only difference is that we need human flesh to survive. If you're so sure that ghouls aren't human, why is it that ghouls can eat the flesh of other ghouls? Or their very own flesh? That's the ultimate proof that we are still human, no matter how monstrous we may look or behave. You even give your damned Quinques the same names as the ghouls you stole them from. You really think their families and friends don't know that or care at all?" Kaneki paused and moved away from them, lowering his voice a little. "You think there's no way we can understand each other, but our pains are largely the same. You think I never wanted justice for someone who was too weak? You think I never wanted to protect anyone? You think those closest to me don't matter, that I wouldn't avenge them? If you really think every person or ghoul could behave that way, then you're the one who doesn't understand. And you don't want to. You don't even know how ghouls are created, do you?"

Amon and Akira froze and glanced at each other.

"Do you know?" Amon finally asked.

Kaneki shook his head. "I wish I did. I can only say that I know of one method that works: the one that made me. I received a ghoul's organs through a transplant."

"That's impossible!" Akira protested. "No doctor would ever-"

"I was on a first date with a lovely girl who turned out to be a ghoul. The Binge Eater. She attacked me, was going to kill me, but someone dropped a ton of steel on her. She didn't make it, and I wouldn't have, without the transplant. For the longest time, I told myself that the doctor couldn't have known she wasn't human. But after seeing how other ghouls react to me, I'm convinced he knew exactly what he was doing. One-eyed ghouls are rare, but I've seen enough of them to know I was far from the first."

"So that's why her hunts stopped," Amon murmured. "She really is dead. You were right, Akira."

"Technically, she lives on in me," Kaneki added, "especially when I lose control. You wouldn't believe how much trouble smelling like her has gotten me into. Or maybe you would. I'm sure you're aware of how powerful a ghoul's nose can be."

"Why are you sure of that?" Akira asked.

"Because it's how your father hunted ghouls. I know that for a fact."

Akira visibly restrained herself from commenting.

"You haven't given me all that much information yet," Kaneki noted. "This is supposed to be an exchange. I'll have to insist that you cooperate before I tell you about his death."

"My foster father was a ghoul," Amon said at once. "I saw what he did to people, to children whose only mistake was trusting him. That's why I hunt ghouls."

Kaneki smiled, wide and unnatural. "You do it for children. Fascinating. And I suppose you're going to tell me that you do it for the sake of your family, young Inspector Mado? That would be so perfectly ironic."

"Don't you ever insult my family in front of me," Akira growled.

"You still don't understand. But you will." Kaneki walked to the door and opened it, admitting a fourth person. Akira just stared, all suspicion, but Amon's sharp intake of breath caught her off guard.

"You," he whispered.

"Me," Hinami agreed, seating herself in the chair that Kaneki provided. She stared first at Amon, then at Akira.

"Who is she, Amon?" Akira demanded. "Should I know her?"

"Suspect number 745, a.k.a. Daughter. One of the last ghouls to see your father alive, and the main one we were hunting when he was killed."

"I know what you're thinking, Inspector Mado," Kaneki cut in before Akira could respond. "She didn't kill your father. She couldn't. And we know that you won't believe the reason, but she will tell you, anyway."

Hinami took a deep breath and slowly released it. "I was too sad. My parents had just died, and I didn't care about revenge. All I wanted was to be with them. I couldn't die, because my friends wouldn't let me, but couldn't live, because it just hurt so much."

"I'll give you the details, but I want Inspector Amon to confirm his side of what I tell you," Kaneki said. "That way there can be no doubt of what I'm saying. Agreed?"

"Agreed," Amon said, staring at Hinami, who seemed to go into a trance at that moment. Judging from the expression on Amon's face, he knew exactly why she might, which was definitely progress in Kaneki's view.

"You and the late Inspector Mado hunted Fueguchi Asaki first, correct?"

"Yes. Suspect number 696. We discovered him while following a lead on Yamori. We even found Yamori at the site, and fought with him, but he got away. 696 was badly wounded, likely by Yamori."

"He was an easy hunt, wasn't he?" Kaneki murmured.

"I... yes," Amon admitted.

"Because he was wounded, or because he seemed unaccustomed to combat?" Kaneki asked sharply.

"The former. It's impossible to know how effective he would be at full strength."

"Impossible now, anyway. How did you proceed after he was defeated?"

"Inspector Mado made a Quinque from 696's remains. We used the scent to draw out his family."

"Stop there, please." Kaneki touched Hinami's shoulder. "Tell them what happened next."

"My mother told me that we couldn't be with father, because we would get in his way. But it was because he was dealing with scary people. I didn't understand that then. I just missed him so much. We got into a fight over it, and she took me to a bookstore to make up for it. On the way back, I caught my father's scent. My mother told me not to go, but I couldn't help it. I just wanted to see him. So I followed the scent, but it wasn't him. It was Doves." She glanced at Amon. "You were one of them. Inspector Mado... he killed my mother right in front of me."

Amon frowned. "You escaped. She... your mother... suspect number 723 stalled us so that you could escape."

Hinami glared at him. "I came back. I wanted to help her. She was my mother, and thanks to you two, she was all the family I had left."

"She came back with me," Kaneki explained. "I had no idea what type of danger they were in. She only told me that her mother needed help. We got there just in time to see Inspector Mado execute her. And I have to say, Inspector Amon, that I had seen a lot of horrifying things in my short time as a ghoul back then, but that was easily the worst. So I did the only thing I could do. I covered her eyes, so that she wouldn't see it. I didn't understand. She and her mother could never bring themselves to hurt a human. That's why they depended on other ghouls to get food for them. But that didn't matter to you. A ghoul is a ghoul, right? You must have thought she was a threat, because why else would you go to such trouble to kill a child? You couldn't even see that she never hated a single human, until one took her family away from her in the most brutal way possible. But you claim you hunt ghouls to protect children and families, when all you did was crush this girl's heart twice over. But the story doesn't end there. Inspector Amon, you're familiar with Rabbit?"

"I am," Amon said softly.

"As you may have guessed, Rabbit is a friend of ours. And when he learned that her parents had been killed, his first thought was revenge. Rabbit was warned that he would receive no aid in that venture, because it would only increase the presence of Ghoul Inspectors in the ward, but Rabbit didn't care. So he went hunting alone, killed one of yours, and was wounded in the process. I'm guessing that was Inspector Mado as well."

"Yes," Amon growled.

"I'm also guessing, based on what I saw of him and heard from others, that he said something to taunt Rabbit?"

"He mentioned killing the mother, yes."

"Did you think that was necessary?"

"No. There was enough difference in their fighting abilities where he would have defeated her no matter what. But it's wise to end such fights quickly, just in case. Mentioning the mother distracted Rabbit and ended the fight faster."

"Can you understand our perspective at all yet? A ghoul family who did their best to avoid hunting humans, hunted down like dogs, the parents murdered in brutal fashion and turned into weapons which were then used against the only surviving child. And you think it is ghouls who make this world worse? What do you think that did to Hinami? Or do you not even care how similar that made her to you, new Inspector Mado?"

Akira shook her head. "She's nothing like-"

"A monster destroyed her family and left her to deal with it. That's nothing like you?"

"My father-"

"Started out with a noble purpose, I don't doubt that. Avenging a murdered relative, anyone could understand that. But Hinami's family had no connection to yours, until your father slaughtered them. That's the reality. You are only here because your father did a terrible thing to an innocent, and he showed no mercy. That is a monster, and that is what he was to us. You can deny it, but her parents will remain dead by his hand, and there was no good reason for that. But I promised to tell you how he died. Rabbit decided to lure you out with a false sighting, but that plan backfired. You used the mother's scent this time, and a child could never ignore that, given what had happened. She followed the scent, and Rabbit and I went after her. That's when I ran into you, Inspector Amon. You understand now what my purpose was?"

"You were stalling me, so Rabbit would have a chance against Inspector Mado," Amon answered. "It makes sense now. You were so weak, but you kept getting up no matter how many times I knocked you down. If I had realized what you were doing, I would have killed you on the spot. But you were doing your best to keep from killing me, not that you could have, at first. But once you took a bite out of my shoulder, your strength and speed improved. You nearly did kill me, but you held back. Why?"

"I didn't want you to die. I didn't want anyone to die. I told Rabbit as much. But I also promised that I would help him protect our mutual friend. And that meant keeping you from joining up with your partner. Even then, I didn't know for sure that Rabbit would be able to beat him. But I had to at least give Rabbit that chance."

"Then Rabbit is the one who killed my father?" Akira asked.

"Yes," Hinami answered. "But it was nothing so simple as that. I followed my mother's scent until I found the source. Your father had cut her hand off and stuffed it into a bag. The sight of it haunts me to this day. And as horrible as it was, I couldn't bring myself to leave her. Not again. So I just sat there, holding her, until Rabbit found me and tried to get me to come home. That is when your father came." Hinami paused and closed her eyes before she went on. "What I remember most is that he was laughing. The whole time. He thought it was funny that my family was dead, and that I'd be joining them. He thought it was funny that Rabbit insisted I deserved to live. He thought it was funny to use the Quinques of my dead parents to kill me. Even when I instinctively lashed out for the first time and injured him, he was still laughing. Rabbit told me to finish him off, but I couldn't. There had been too much death already, and I just wanted it to be over. Your father came at me one last time, and to save me, Rabbit killed him. Then Rabbit took off his glove, and saw his ring."

At this, Akira swallowed hard. "He still wore it?"

"We didn't know that he had a family. We only knew that he ruined mine. We didn't know that a ghoul had killed his wife. We only knew that he was the monster who killed my parents. I don't blame him for wanting revenge on the one who caused him pain. But that wasn't us. I'll never forgive what he did. But I won't blame you for it, unless you keep trying to hurt me, too. I won't kill you. I can't. But I can find a way to hurt you. If there is one thing I've learned from your father, it's that there is always a way to hurt someone. You just have to look for it."

"So what happens now?" Amon asked.

"That isn't up to us," Kaneki replied. "We were given a chance to get closure with you, nothing more. What happens to you now is beyond our control. It's as I told you: we're way too new around here to have any real pull. I assume we were selected for this because we're familiar with how you two think."

"Then you can't actually promise that they won't kill us," Amon reasoned.

"No. But I can tell you that our orders were to bring you in alive. Despite the fact that we both have a reason to prefer you dead. I think that means you will survive whatever they want you for."

"But you wouldn't care either way," Akira stated.

"I don't approve of senseless death," Kaneki answered. "So you'll have to forgive me if I consider another Mado not randomly slaughtering us to be a good thing."

They were interrupted by a sharp knock at the door. "Eyepatch, wrap it up. The top brass wants them."

Kaneki moved to the door. "Sure, we're just about done here." He glanced at Hinami. "If there's anything you want to say, make it fast."

Hinami stood up and crossed the room, stopping beside Amon. "He was right about you. You're not a bad man. If you meant what you said about protecting children, then you can't be one. And in the end, you didn't hurt me at all. I can't blame you for what happened to my parents, so there's nothing to forgive." Amon felt he should say something, but before he could, Hinami leaned in and, to his great surprise, kissed him softly on the cheek. Before he could really process that, she had turned to Akira.

"You have every right to be angry over the fact that ghouls killed your parents. I have the right to be angry over the fact that your father killed my parents. The difference is, I will never take that out on innocents, or you. You know my pain, even if you can't bring yourself to accept that. We are sisters in sorrow, so I'll give you a chance to prove that you can be like your partner. But if you ever kill anyone close to me, the Mado family ends with you. Not because I want revenge, but to protect other children from the pain that you and I went through."

Akira glared at her. "You and I are nothing alike."

Hinami smiled sadly. "Keep telling yourself that if you like, Inspector Mado. But I think that will make what happens to you now even more painful. I don't wish that on you, whatever you may think of me." She lowered her voice, murmuring just loud enough for only Akira to hear: "Until the next time we meet, onee-san."

Kaneki opened the door, allowing Ayato to enter. "Sorry we took so long, Rabbit. They're all yours now."

Akira's eyes widened, but before she could say anything, Ayato had roughly gagged her again.

* * *

"I know you didn't have us bring them all the way here just to kill them."

"True," Eto murmured. "It's your move, Hinami-chan."

Hinami barely even glanced at the chessboard between them and moved her rook forward.

"You're not even trying to win," Eto complained.

"You said you would tell me more if I played with you. So I'm playing."

"Poorly."

"Still playing. What are you going to do with the Doves?"

Eto giggled. "If you pluck the wings, dip it in tar, and roast it for a little while, would it still be recognizable as a Dove?"

"That doesn't really answer my question."

"Yes, it does. You're just not trying to understand the answer."

* * *

"That was excellent work today, Ken-kun. I'm very proud of you."

Kaneki accepted that praise with guarded enthusiasm. He did not for one moment believe that Eto had summoned him to what appeared to be an underground bunker, in the middle of the night, simply to tell him that he'd done a good job.

He was right.

"Hungry?" she asked abruptly, starting to unwrap the bandages around her right arm.

Kaneki shook his head.

"You should eat," Eto said, exposing her arm and offering it to him.

"I'm not-" he began.

"Take a bite, Ken-kun. As much or as little as you want. But take one."

It was clearly an order this time, so Kaneki reluctantly took a large bite out of her arm, feeling he was being tested, but having no idea why or on what.

Eto said nothing, merely watching him until he had swallowed. "We'll start now," she said. And before he could ask what, she was growing before his eyes, and fear unlike any he had ever felt before seized him. There was really only one reason for her to do this, and offer him food beforehand.

"Try your very best not to die, Ken-kun," she warned him. "Hinami will be sad if you do." Then she hit him with the force of a runaway freight train, shattering what could break and shredding what could not.

For an instant, Kaneki's focus was not on surviving, but on wondering if surviving for Hinami's sake was truly worth such suffering. Then it shifted to, and stayed on, the pain.

* * *

It was the strangely sweet smell that pulled Akira out of her restless sleep. She had never smelled anything so delicious in her entire life. Not her mother's recipes, not those dinners shared with her father, nothing had ever smelled so good.

And yet, as she searched the dark room for the source of the smell, her mind insisted that there was something of greater importance that she was forgetting, something far more urgent. But she could only think of her next meal, and it had to be close by.

Sure enough, there was a covered plate resting on a table nearby. Akira ran across the room and tore off the cover, practically drooling as she found her meal: a human heart. Disbelief, disgust, and outrage warred against each other in her brain, but all were instantly overcome by a new force: hunger.

With hands that did not seem to belong to her, Akira grabbed the heart and shoved as much of it into her mouth as she could fit. The sweetness on her tongue erased any further hesitation, and she tore into the meat eagerly.

That was when the lights came on, revealing the mirror just beyond the table. This allowed Akira to see herself for the first time since waking: devouring a heart, blood smeared across her mouth, and in clear ecstasy.

None of it bothered her. Not because she didn't care, but because something else took priority.

Akira could also see her own eyes, and more specifically, the right one, with its red iris and black sciera.

She wanted so badly to scream. But Akira was far too hungry for that, so she finished her meal instead. But she never looked away from the mirror until the last bite was gone.

* * *

On the night that Anteiku was raided by the CCG, Kaneki had wanted to go to them. He had gotten stronger within Aogiri Tree, and he had wanted to put that new power to good use, protecting those he held dear.

He hadn't known it wasn't allowed. Not until he took a heavy blow to the back of the head and woke up nearly a week after the raid.

Eto had never outright said it was her, or that he couldn't go. But he had known all the same. It was in her eyes each time he mentioned Yoshimura, or Anteiku. She hated them all. And yet if the reports were true, Eto herself had intervened in the raid. For what purpose, only she knew and wouldn't say.

Kaneki had promised Yoshimura that he would try to save Eto. But that was before he joined Aogiri Tree and learned how deep her hatred ran, how powerful it made her. He had been forced to survive against overwhelming odds before, but this was different. Every single time that he faced Eto in combat, what defeated him, ultimately, was the knowledge that she wasn't even trying. He wasn't sure how he knew, but he did, and nothing thrilled Eto more than to watch the hopelessness leak into her prey's eyes.

He understood now that she was preparing him for something, though she never said as much. But if he was making progress, he could not see it. Eto remained overwhelmingly powerful, and Kaneki got beaten into the ground until she determined that he was thoroughly defeated but not quite dead. And it was still awfully surprising to discover what a ghoul could live through.

But after every lesson, Kaneki actually felt secure. He believed, without question, that Aogiri Tree could not house a bigger monster than Eto. There simply wouldn't be room for them both, and beyond that, his mind could not fathom two such monsters existing simultaneously.

And if Eto had told him that her breaking his body had actually prevented another monster from breaking his mind, he would have laughed. He wouldn't have found it funny at all, but he would have laughed all the same. Eto took it personally when people didn't laugh at her jokes.

* * *

"They just keep coming," Ayato complained, though it was easy to see the bloodlust in his eyes. "This must mean that our role as a distraction for the Doves is a complete success."

"They'll keep coming as long as we stay here," Kaneki agreed. "Or at least as long as our new friend stays here."

Both glanced at the hooded figure before them, who was making a show of feasting on the pile of fallen CCG members he'd amassed at his feet. Kaneki had a very disturbing idea that Rize would be proud, or at least jealous.

It was not unusual for the newest batch of Dr. Kanou's creations to be assigned such missions. They destroyed everything in sight, while two more experienced members hung back and evaluated them. Although Kaneki felt certain that Dr. Kanou had created this individual for the singular purpose of destruction, and there was no question that he was skilled at it. High marks for him, then.

Abruptly, the new guy lifted his head, a wide smile blooming on his face. "We've got reinforcements! It's my favorite team!"

In the next moment, a large, dark shape plummeted out of the sky and slammed into the ground, splintering the concrete with its enormous weight. After a moment, the mass slowly raised itself to its full height, easily somewhere over teen feet, revealing itself to be a giant of a man. One that Kaneki would recognize anywhere, due to their shared past, as well as the two passengers clutched carefully in his powerful arms.

"They made it seem like you three would need our help," Hinami said as she was lowered to the ground. "But it doesn't really look like it to me."

"More are on the way," Kaneki assured her. "Though I agree this seems a bit excessive, especially for a distraction."

"You're overthinking things again," Akira said sharply as she moved past him. "You should just do as you were told to."

"Is she always like that?" Kaneki murmured to Hinami.

Hinami shook her head. "No. Sometimes she's much meaner."

"I can't imagine."

"Woohoo! It's AkiMon, come to join the fuuuuun!"

Kaneki and Hinami paused to watch the new guy dance wildly around Akira in a circle, something she was clearly not a fan of.

"You're insane, Takizawa."

"No, I'm Takizawa!" he giggled, then paused abruptly, glaring at her.

Akira frowned. "What."

Takizawa poked her nose gently. "You're Rabbit."

Akira smacked his hand away. "What on earth are you-?"

But Takizawa had already bounced away, stopping next to Ayato and jabbing him in the shoulder. "They call you Rabbit, but you're really Eeyore!"

Ayato gave him a blank stare before turning away.

Takizawa ran over to Kaneki and grabbed his shoulders, shaking him. "And you're Christopher!"

Kaneki stared up into Takizawa's mad eyes and smiled uneasily. "Sure. Whatever you say, Takizawa."

"No! I'm Tigger!" Takizawa demonstrated this with an admittedly impressive vertical leap.

"Ah. Not sure how I missed that."

Next, Takizawa grabbed Hinami and spun her around several times. "You're Roo!"

"O-Okay, Tigger," Hinami replied, her voice quivering a bit. She patted his arm gently.

Takizawa ran over to the still-silent giant and glomped onto one of his massive arms. "And you're Pooh!"

There was, thankfully, no visible reaction from the giant.

"This is my fault," Hinami whispered to Kaneki. "I wanted to keep him busy, so I gave him one of Eto's books to read. I thought it should be a children's book, just in case, but... clearly that was not the best idea."

Kaneki shrugged. "I don't know. Compared to how he could see us, this isn't too bad."

Without warning, the giant summoned his Kagune, which flowed over his arms and instantly hardened into massive clawed gauntlets. In response, Akira brought out her own, a hive-shaped backpack with spiked protrusions.

A few seconds later, they could all hear the approaching sirens.

Takizawa giggled, raised a hand to his mouth, and bit clean through his pinky finger, chewing slowly. "Welcome to the Hundred Acre Wood, little doves," he whispered, blood spilling from his lips.

* * *

"All personnel, be on the lookout. We have a confirmed sighting of Aogiri Tree. Members present include Centipede, Black Rabbit, Owl Three, Bear, Honeybee, and Moth. Approach with extreme caution, and take no prisoners."

* * *

Yomo always took out the trash. Not because he was a man and Touka was a woman, but because he insisted on it. Touka was meant to be out front, handling the customers. He was better at taking care of things behind the scenes. It was a thin excuse, and they both knew that, as well as the real reason.

As dirty as Touka felt her hands were, they were still spotless in his eyes, and he wanted them to stay that way.

So it was Yomo who was in the alley, when the monster came. He knew it on sight, even before it became a woman right in front of him.

"You have something that I want," she told him. "And because I admire you, I'll give you a chance to hand it over."

"You... admire me?" he asked, wondering what he could have possibly done to earn that distinction.

"I like a man who takes care of his family. I feel it can be a rare quality, and it should be preserved."

"You want Touka."

"Not necessarily." She smiled, exposing far too many teeth, in his opinion. "I want one of the women in your care. You can choose which one. If you are truly the man I believe you to be, I think you will choose wisely. You have one day. If one of them is not in my hands by then, all that you have worked so hard to obtain and protect will be swept away." She paused and laughed softly. "Don't be the fool that my father was. When the wolf knocks at your door, just give up the sheep that means the least to you."

After that, she came in for coffee, complimented Touka on how nice the placed looked, and left a hefty tip. Touka did not understand why Yomo suggested closing up early that night, but they did. They were able to make up for it the next night, and the next, and that was all that Yomo cared about.

It was not a hard choice. It was not a choice at all.

* * *

 **Concluded in Chapter 3: OwlWidow**

Nothing goes to waste in Aogiri Tree. Everything and everyone serves a purpose. So you can be a gardener, who tends the tree, or you can be the fruit, who blossoms from it.

* * *

 **Endnotes:**

It occurred to me that several ghouls have animal themes, and that some were hiding in a tree. This amused me far too much.

Someone pointed out to me that the lack of Arima was a plot hole. They were right, so I dumped some backstory in for filling.

In a very odd coincidence, the reveal about Yomo's origin (at least I think it was a reveal. Recall that I don't pay that much attention to most of Re) barely changed this chapter's end at all. Mostly it just reinforced that this was the right way to go. I love it when a plot point comes together.


	3. OwlWidow

Notes: Please keep in mind that I don't expect or want this to match the manga too much in the end. If I were happy with how the manga was turning out, I wouldn't have started this story.

Summary: Eto leads a suicidal attack on Arima that leaves both Aogiri and the CCG scrambling to recover. But in the shadows, smaller plots are carried out.

* * *

 **Coming to Dinner**

 **A Tokyo Ghoul Fanfic by**

 **Nate Grey (xman0123-at-aol-dot-com)**  
 **Chapter 3: OwlWidow**

* * *

He was aware of everything. Between the drugs and the noise from the constant activity, Eto had made certain of that.

Yoshimura could not complain. Both because he felt he deserved the torment, and because he could not actually move his mouth. He loved her as much as she hated him. He would endure any suffering, so long as she needed him alive. And once she was done with him, he would accept death as his final penance. But for now, at least, she came to see him often, even if it was just to gloat. He was happy to see her looking so strong and confident, as if the world were hers. He had dreamed of giving it to her.

He was even happy when Hinami first came to see him, although he knew what her being there had to mean. That Eto was fond of her was a small blessing. Perhaps Hinami could do what Kaneki had not, and find a way to save Eto from herself.

There was pain, each time they harvested his Kagune, and especially each time it grew back. That had not always been the case, but perhaps a combination of the drugs and being prevented from eating solid food was the cause. And even that, he did not mind. His intent had been to help ghouls survive, and if he could only do that now by making them stronger through pieces of himself, then so be it. He could not even begin to hope that they were co-existing peacefully with humans on Eto's watch, but beggars could not be choosers.

* * *

Kaneki did not truly understand his role in Aogiri Tree until things began to change.

The CCG began to use humans with ghoul abilities. Kaneki was concerned, doubly so when Aogiri's executives in no way reacted to this. He did not understand why until the first few skirmishes with the Quinx Squad. Aogiri suffered losses, true, but no one irreplaceable, and even there, it took nearly everything the Qunixes had to achieve those victories. They were inexperienced, unsure, battling prejudice from their very own comrades and superiors, and thus weak.

Within a month, Eto had a Quinx's head bronzed and mounted in her study.

And still the CCG invested more resources into improving the Qunixes, until they actually were a credible threat. But again, only to the lowest ranks of Aogiri.

Kaneki was baffled, until he came to understand why there had been no real reaction from Aogiri. He was not the only one that Eto had been training. He was not the only leashed monster in Aogiri. They were far more of a threat to the CCG than even he had ever suspected, and far stronger than he had ever realized. Himself included. They had not reacted to the Quinxes, because the Quinxes had been a reaction to their own growing strength. And Kaneki had only been so concerned because, again, without realizing it, he had gradually risen through Aogiri's ranks until such concern for the entire organization was commonplace for him. Perhaps he had never noticed before because Ayato and Hinami had been elevated alongside him, so there had been very little change from their routines, except more subordinates beneath them and a slightly greater say in what missions they were assigned.

Finally, Kaneki began to understand what Eto had been grooming him for: to be an executive of Aogiri Tree, and not just one of them, but one who stood far above others. He could not say why with any certainty, because he wanted that role about as much as ghouls wanted fast food. And perhaps that was why Eto thought he was a perfect fit for the job.

* * *

Ayato had no idea what he was doing.

There was a major operation going down that night. He should have been there.

Instead, he, Kaneki, and Hinami had been forbidden to participate. Kaneki and Hinami had at least been ordered to keep an eye on things.

Ayato had been told to go home, in a way that was impossible to mistake. He could not understand why Aogiri Tree would care about his sister and uncle, or why they would ever know in the first place that he even had an uncle. Ayato certainly hadn't known.

And as he raised his hand to knock on the back door, he thought briefly of simply running away. Touka might believe it to be a prank and go on with her life.

But then the door was opening, and there stood the man who was supposed to be his uncle, except Ayato had never heard anything about him, and how good an uncle could he possibly be if he-?

"Ayato," the man said, his expression like stone.

"Uncle," Ayato responded in a fair imitation.

Something twitched in the man's face, but soon vanished. "Why are you here?"

Ayato was not about to tell the truth. Both because it was embarrassing, and because he would not make a very good spy if he just admitted it up front. So he finally settled on a half-truth.

"I want to know why the hell you're here, and why I never knew about you."

"I see." The man stared at him, then moved away from the door, leaving it open. "Touka," he called into the coffeehouse. "We have a guest."

* * *

"Repeating our top news story. The home of famed Special Class Ghoul Investigator Kishou Arima was attacked by ghouls identified as belonging to the gang known as Aoigiri Tree. Many bodies have been removed from the site, but Investigator Arima has not yet been found. CCG officials believe this to be a sure sign of Arima's survival, and are confident he will quickly be located alive and unharmed."

"It means that they failed," Akira said as she turned off the radio. "Despite the numbers, despite the heavy hitters, and despite Eto leading the charge, they still couldn't take him down. Arima is an immortal monster, and anyone who challenges him will realize too late that he saps the lives of his victims. They won't ever stop coming, so he'll never die."

"I admit I don't know much about you," Yoshimura said slowly. "But I don't think you dragged me out of that tank just to tell me that."

"You're right. Anyone who would have stopped me is either dead by Arima's hand, or mine. Amon is outside making sure we aren't interrupted. There is something I want to say to you."

Yoshimura stared at her for a long moment, and gradually realized what she wanted from him. "I see. You have my complete attention."

"You gave birth to a monster. I don't know for sure that you meant to. But I do know that she has bred more monsters like me, and I don't think she'll stop unless Arima kills her, or-"

"Unless you take away the seeds she uses in her garden," Yoshimura cut in.

"You do understand. I thought you might. But this is also personal. I know one of you Owls killed my mother. I believe it was her. And even if it wasn't, I still need you both dead."

Yoshimura sighed. "I couldn't stop you even if I wanted to. My Kagune is harvested each time it grows to the point of usefulness. Barely surviving in that tank has left my body weak. Beyond that, I have no intention or reason to resist. My life is yours to end."

Akira frowned at him. "I want to hate you. But you're just an old man. And I doubt she'll care that you're dead. She'll only care that she can't pass on your power anymore."

He nodded. "If it means anything, I am glad to know I finally have a daughter who does not need saving from herself."

"You aren't my father," Akira said, just before she raised her hands and wrapped them around his throat.

* * *

When Arima finally did turn up, it was not to a hero's homecoming as so many had expected. True, he had been victorious, completely suppressing the attack by himself, if one did not count the numerous Quinques he had burned through in the process. But given the circumstances, even that could have been easily overlooked, and would have been for CCG's Reaper.

There was no way to overlook, however, that at some point during the battle, Arima had ceased to be entirely human, if he had ever been. If the now gray coloring of his skin was not proof enough of that, then surely the ghoul arm that had replaced his missing left one was. Arima made no attempt to enter any CCG building, a sure sign that his Rc factor was far too high. Not that someone of his status really needed to do such a thing in order to do their job, but it was noticed all the same.

* * *

When a week had passed, and Eto and many top executives had not returned, the power struggle began. Various ghouls of considerable strength named themselves executives, and began giving orders to anyone foolish enough to follow them. The executives that remained from Eto's time largely ignored this, and kept their own areas of influence as stable as they could.

Kaneki lost several subordinates to the newer executives, but it did not concern him much. Their right to rule was untested, so they would either prove themselves quickly, or quickly prove themselves unworthy. All without his doing anything different.

Hinami quietly stepped down as an executive and became his assistant, something that did not typically happen without blackmail, overwhelming pressure, or violence. When asked, she would only say that this was the best role for her now, which Kaneki was not entirely sure he believed. Any perceived distance between them vanished, and it became accepted that there really was no distinction between them. Orders from Hinami, while they officially carried less weight, were issued with Kaneki's full support, which was not easily ignored. To insult her was no different from insulting him. Even when they were apart, it was assumed that anything said to Hinami would quickly reach Kaneki's ears.

Akira and Amon had simply vanished. Efforts to find them were made, but Kaneki never took part in them. Although he had a very good idea of why they had left, he did not consider dragging them back to Aogiri to be justice. Above all, he had no desire to start the cycle of revenge with them again. He felt certain that Yoshimura would have agreed with his choice.

* * *

Hinami always knew that Kaneki had an exit strategy. They could not stay in Aogiri Tree forever. They could not even stay there for the rest of their lives, not if they wanted to die uneaten. But as often was the case with such plans, Kaneki had not breathed a word of it to anyone, not even her. She only knew that there was a plan, and that she was included in it.

"I need you to pick up a package for me," Kaneki said out of the blue one day, handing her a card with an address scribbled on it.

Hinami recognized the address at once. "This is Uta-san's shop."

He seemed pleased that she remembered. "So you know the way, then."

"You ordered a mask from him?"

"Among other things, yes."

"Do you need a new one?"

Kaneki blinked. "You're asking a lot of questions. Are you nervous about seeing him again?"

"Shouldn't I be?" she countered. "Our organizations aren't exactly allies. Not officially, anyway."

"The Clowns are less an organization and more a group of like-minded ghouls. It's just that the like minds are notably insane, even among ghouls, which is saying something. But they've never given you any trouble, have they?"

"Not directly," Hinami admitted. "But aside from quality, is there another reason you're dealing with Uta-san?"

"He asked about you. Fondly. I took this to mean he would be more cooperative if he got to see you. I need him to be cooperative right now."

"You think he'll be more willing to work with Aogiri Tree in the future."

"No, I think he'll be more willing to work with you and me in the future. I doubt he would care if Aogiri burned to the ground."

* * *

The interior of Uta's shop was just as mesmerizing as the first time Hinami had seen it. That had been back in the days of Anteiku, though, so things were notably different now. Each mask held its own charm or power, carefully crafted by Uta's skilled hands. It was no wonder why Kaneki had never even considered asking anyone else to make a mask for him.

When no one emerged to meet her, Hinami was momentarily at a loss. She had never had to summon Uta, as he had always either been on the showroom floor, or within hearing distance of the front door. Neither appeared to be the case this time, so she began looking for a bell or button of some sort, something that would get his attention without possibly disrupting his work.

She had only been looking for about a minute when a body collided with her from behind.

"Hinami-chan!" a cheery, female voice half-sang, half-shouted in her ear. "I missed you!"

"Roma-san?" Hinami squeaked as she was dragged into a tight hug by the older woman.

"Oh, you are still sooooo cute!" Roma giggled. "Uta, look who came to visit!"

Indeed, when Hinami glanced over her shoulder, she could see Uta moving between the rows of masks, carrying a shoebox under one arm. It was not lost on her that both Roma and Uta had somehow avoided her nose, and she did not think this was a coincidence. If anything, it reminded her how dangerous they were and could become, if they decided she was an enemy. But this did not seem likely, at least for now.

"I'm sure I mentioned that Kaneki would be sending someone today, Roma," Uta said patiently. "She's here on business."

"I can always make time to catch up with old friends," Hinami insisted, noticing the way Roma's face had instantly fallen.

"Really?" Roma asked hopefully.

"Really," Hinami assured her. "That is, if I'm not interrupting."

"No, it's fine," Uta replied. "You two can catch up while I work. Did Kaneki tell you why the mask I'm working on is special, Hinami?"

"No, he didn't."

"I thought as much." Uta set the shoebox down on a nearby table and removed the lid, revealing a pair of scissors and two small jars. "He asked me to embed two particular scents into the mask. The first is his, and I collected a little hair from him to do that." He picked up the scissors and turned to Hinami expectantly. "The second scent is yours."

Hinami gaped at him, less because she minded losing the hair, and more because this was definitely something she would have preferred to be told by Kaneki before he sent her to Uta's place. "I see," she said after a long moment. "How much will you need?"

"Not much," was the immediate reply. "You'll barely miss it." There was a pause, and then Uta added, "Can I take a little extra?"

"For?" Hinami asked mildly.

"Roma. For when she misses you."

Judging from the blush on Roma's face, Hinami knew that Uta was being entirely genuine. She also thought it best not to ask what Roma planned to do with the hair. "Sure."

It took only a few minutes for Uta to collect the needed hair. He made a show of dividing the hair among the two jars and passing one to Roma, no doubt for Hinami's benefit. Then he explained it would take a little over an hour to finish the mask, and that Hinami could wait with Roma until then.

Roma made tea, or at least bumbled making it until Hinami offered to help her. She did not break any cups, at least, although Hinami noticed there were a great deal of plastic cups instead of easily breakable ones.

It was nice to talk to Roma again. They had not seen each other since their days in Anteiku, and they had bonded quickly then, as Hinami had been one of the few people not easily frustrated by Roma's habit of breaking things. That, and sweeping up Roma's messes had given her something to do when most other things were too complicated.

Before Hinami knew it, Uta returned with a slightly larger box under one arm, and announced that the mask was complete. Hinami thought she would simply take the mask, but Uta was quick to correct her.

"The delivery fee was included in the cost. And there is one more thing Kaneki ordered that won't fit in this box. I must satisfy my customers."

Hinami stared at him. "So... we'll go together, then?"

"I think that would be best."

* * *

Kaneki was waiting outside of the warehouse when the black van drove up and stopped. He waved as Uta climbed out of the driver's side, while Hinami and Roma hopped out of the back. "Was there any trouble?" Kaneki asked.

"You underestimate us, Kaneki," Uta said.

"Sorry about that, Uta-san. Thanks for coming all the way out here so late."

Uta shook his head and handed over the box with the mask inside. "Part of the job."

"Hi, Kaneki!" Roma giggled, waving wildly at him.

"Hello, Roma-san," Kaneki said warmly. "You're looking well."

She beamed at him.

"You could have warned me about the hair," Hinami complained, frowning at Kaneki.

"It was more fun this way," he admitted, grinning when she punched him in the shoulder.

"Are you at least going to tell me who this mask is for now?"

Kaneki's smile faded as he turned to their companions. "Uta-san. Roma-san. I'm glad you're here, but beyond this point I can't promise your safety. I'm asking you to wait outside for us. With any luck, this won't take long."

Roma seemed disappointed, but Uta nodded.

Kaneki took Hinami's hand and squeezed it. "If what you see in here means we can't be together anymore, I'll understand."

Hinami frowned at him. "What are you talking about?"

"It's not really something I can put into words. You have to see for yourself, and make your own judgment. But no matter what you see, or think about what you see, remember: I have everything under control. And don't follow me in until I tell you to."

More confused than ever, Hinami stood back and watched as Kaneki unlocked the warehouse doors and stepped inside. At once, she could see that the warehouse was entirely empty, unless the massive crater that stretched nearly the entire width of the building was included. It almost looked as if the warehouse had been built around the site of a small asteroid crash site. Hinami was still trying to figure out what Kaneki was hiding when a dark, gigantic shape rapidly rose out of the crater, easily filling the warehouse and blocking what few light sources there had been inside.

Kaneki only gave Hinami more question as he stepped foward, extended his hand to the giant, and said the last thing she ever would have expected him to.

"Hello, Rize-san."

Instantly, the giant jerked into motion, and Hinami barely suppressed a scream as its face finally came into view. It was Rize. Or had been at one point. But the striking woman who had once fascinated Kaneki so was almost entirely gone, cruelly mutated into the enormous, misshapen entity before them. At best, it most closely resembled a colossal spider that had tried to consume a ghoul woman, and had been mostly successful.

A collection of spindly, red legs dotted the black, bulbous body seemingly at random, with several hanging uselessly in the air, at least until the powerful body burst into lightning-quick movement. Then, every leg was tensed, and prepared to either kick at the empty air, or to brace itself against any obstacle it met and push the body along even faster. Worst was the face, which was almost entirely that of a spider, save for the two violet eyes swimming aimlessly among the spider's ten, and the shock of matching hair on top of the head.

The spider's legs crashed into the ground only inches from Kaneki, and likely would have killed him if he had reacted in instinct or fear. The beast's face lowered until all ten of the eyes could easily focus on him. Then the head fell to one side, revealing a trembling, human mouth hidden just beneath the hair. "Kaneki," it whispered.

"I'm keeping my promise to you, Rize-san," Kankei said softly. "I'm taking you away from here. Please say you'll come with me. Let me save you."

"But I... get hungry," the spider murmured. "So hungry."

"I know. And if you really want to stay here, you can. But there are better places for you. Places where you can see the sun, breathe fresh air, and walk the streets once more. You don't have to remain Aogiri's prisoner anymore."

"My body," she said. "I don't know if I can still remember."

He smiled. "I know that you do. Think of our first date."

"You were delicious."

He laughed. "The part before that, though. We talked about Takatsuki's books. And Hide. Reading. My parents. And then you agreed to see me-"

The spider had abruptly vanished. In its place stood Rize, naked, although still with far too many red legs protruding from her body, and a spider's eye high on her forehead.

Kaneki stepped forward and took her hands in his. "Welcome back, Rize-san. May I kiss you?"

She smiled sadly. "I can't believe you still want to."

"I can't believe I had to wait this long for it."

Hinami looked away as their faces drifted close to each other, and Rize's spider legs reached out to embrace him. This was a private moment, and even if it wasn't, Hinami had no desire to see it. It was because of Rize that Hinami had met Kaneki at all. But she felt just as certain that Rize would be the reason that she eventually lost him.

When Hinami finally looked again, Rize was wearing the mask. For an Uta mask, it was incredibly plain: merely a white, porcelain doll face, but with rather realistic blood swiped across the mouth. But then, there was no reason the blood couldn't be real. It was just a question of whether Uta had put it there beforehand, or if Rize had just now. And as Hinami watched, some of the red legs withdrew into Rize's body. Apparently the mask, or Kaneki, or the kiss, or some combination of them, was helping her recall how it felt to be human. Or at least human-shaped.

"Hinami," Kaneki said abruptly. "You can come in now."

Hinami swallowed nervously as Rize's head turned to her. She had no idea what Rize was thinking, but suddenly she knew exactly why Kaneki had Uta embed Hinami's scent in the mask. Rize had always been a predator, and even more so now. She was just as likely to devour the source of an unfamiliar scent as she was to greet it. But if Hinami's scent was familiar, that was different. Hopefully.

"This is your girl, Kaneki?" Rize asked, a hint of challenge in her tone.

"She's the only family I have left, and one of the few reasons I'm still alive and still me."

"I'd like to think I had something to do with that," Rize disagreed.

Kaneki smiled. "Of course you did, Rize-san. But a lot has happened. I'll tell you everything later. For now, just know that Hinami is a friend. She's here to help you."

"We'll see," Rize replied doubtfully.

"I can drive," Hinami volunteered, purely out of desire not to be seated next to Rize. "And there are clothes in the van. That way you two can have some time to catch up."

"See?" Kaneki noted. "She's helping already."

Rize made a noncommittal noise, clearly unimpressed. Hinami was liking this arrangement less and less.

The van was deserted when they returned to it. Roma had doodled some smiley faces on the back doors, presumably as a farewell. Hinami was too annoyed by Rize's presence to be surprised. It was hard to imagine that anyone would want to stick around and meet Rize, even if she did not immediately attack them.

* * *

Arima had almost dozed off when someone suddenly knocked on the car window. He blinked and looked over to see a face peering in at him. It was young, eager, and friendly. Disarming, even. But Arima knew the future with a glance, and allowed a similar smile to bloom on his face. "You're Suzuya?"

The young man saluted. "Yes, sir!"

"Hop in. We should talk."

Suzuya opened the door and sat down next to Arima. "They said you asked for me. Am I in trouble?" His tone was entirely without concern.

"You don't seem to mind, if you are."

Suzuya shrugged. "It happens quite a bit with me. I'm used to it."

"You're not in trouble," Arima replied. "Not with me, at least. Quite the opposite."

Suzuya frowned. "The opposite of being in trouble, huh. So... I get a reward?"

"You could look at it that way. I want you to become my partner."

"You need a partner?"

"Not in the way you're thinking. Partner is the official term, but you would be more of an apprentice."

Suzuya blinked. "So you would teach me."

"They say you're good, very good. I want to make you great. Far greater than me. Then, when the time is right-"

"I'll kill you!" Suzuya chirped.

Arima stared at him.

Suzuya nodded. "How else will you know if I've learned everything I need to know?"

"That's a fair point," Arima agreed. "Are you interested?"

"Sure! You're the best! I want to be the best!"

"You're honest. I like that, Suzuya. This will work out just fine."

"I think so, too, sir!"

Arima stared into that young, grinning face, and knew, at last, a hint of peace. In Suzuya's eyes, he had seen his own end. In just a year, no, perhaps only a matter of months, Suzuya would be the best weapon the CCG had against ghouls. And he would prove it by removing the old one.

* * *

Hinami had only been driving for five minutes when she became aware of a very wet-sounding noise from the back of the van that she really did not want to identify. All the same, she said loudly, "I can hear you."

Kaneki's head instantly popped up, red and with very puffy lips. "Sorry about that, Hinami. We were-"

"Don't. Want. To. Know," Hinami said through gritted teeth. "And put your shirt back on!"

"I can't, she tore it off of me."

"...get back to what you were doing. I couldn't see you then, at least."

Rize's hand reached up, grabbed Kaneki's head, and pulled it out of sight. "You heard her."

 **The End.**

* * *

Endnotes:

I am not satisfied with this ending. But I think adding to it would make me even less satisfied. And considering that less than satisfied is how I have felt about much of Re, I think this is fitting. So I'll end it here.

I expected someone to take Eto down (Arima), I just assumed it would be someone I didn't have to look up (Arima). Admittedly I have not been paying much attention, and Furuta does seem important, now that I have looked him up. And yet the very fact that I had to suggests that either I haven't been paying attention (very true), or his role has been a subtle one. I think it's both. Which is fine, I guess.

I had no idea what Arima had done to himself until people starting reacting angrily to it. I don't even mind that part, as I didn't think there was any ghoul strong enough to take down Arima alone, and apparently I was right. Of far greater importance is what he said after, which I suspected the very first time I saw the head Washu guy and thought, "He looks way too creepy to be all human." Only in passing, though, and mostly as a joke. But I did like the idea that the ghoul who took down Arima would assume some greater importance. And I kinda prefer it that the one who did was Arima himself.

I'm starting to realize that the lack of Rize bothers me. Eventually I expected her to return and force the plot to focus on her. The bits of backstory were nice, but that just made me want to see her more. I don't even particularly like her, I just feel that she shaped so much of the early plot that it would take a great deal of effort to ignore her if she were back in the thick of things.

I was nearly done with this when Uta reappeared in the manga with Donato. I'm not ignoring that, so much as I was mostly done with this and didn't want to go back and change so much. And I don't know that it would have changed anything I did here. As much as Uta's motives are a mystery, I prefer to think that he does not desire to see anyone from Anteiku dead. Injured, perhaps, but not dead.

I don't expect anyone to believe it, but I began thinking of Suzuya as the new Arima long before it was confirmed in the manga. As I said before, only characters who pre-date Re matter to me, and Suzuya was the only one I could see filling that role. So I'm glad that worked out, even if his quirky side seems a bit toned down now.


End file.
